Ghana Technology Park: UN, GCG Team Arrives in Accra

A three-member United Nations Advisory Committee on technology parks led by Dr. Walter Shearer arrived in Ghana on Sunday, March 28, 2004 to begin due diligence work on the size, scope and location of the proposed Ghana Technology Park. They were accompanied by Neal Colton, a high-profile Pennsylvania corporate attorney, and Mark Horvit, an American journalist from the Star Telegram of Texas.

GCG launched the Ghana Technology Park proposal in a 40-page presentation at the 1st Ghana Conference on Technology & Outsourcing, hosted at the Columbia Law School on September 25, 2003 in New York. The event, funded by the office of Dr. Jeffrey Sachs (a former Harvard economist), Director of Columbia University's Earth Institute, brought technology professionals and corporate executives together to learn more about the growing technology industry in Ghana and encouraged working capital for the Ghana Technology Park venture.

In the fall of 2003, shortly after GCG's launching of the tech park plan, the United Nations invited Yaw Owusu, Chief Executive of Ghana Cyber Group, Inc., and Dr. Walter Alhassan, former Director General of the Council for Scientific & Industrial Research, to speak at the 2nd UN Forum on Science & Technology Parks in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. At the Forum, hosted on November 30-December 3, 2003, Mr. Owusu presented the GCG Ghana Technology Park initiative while Dr. Alhassan discussed the government's investments in technology and industrial complex. The mandate of the UN Forum Host Committee was to select an African country to which the United Nations would provide funding and technical guidance for the establishment of a science and technology park. Representatives from Senegal, Cameroon, Kenya and Malawi also outlined similar papers to compete for the UN funding. Ghana and Senegal emerged the strongest contenders for the multi-million dollar venture after the 3-day conference.

SUMMIT GCG has arranged for the UN Advisory Committee to meet the following leaders in a comprehensive program scheduled for March 29 to April 2: H.E. John Agyekum Kufuor, President, Republic of Ghana Hon. Albert Kan-Dapaah, Minister of Communications & Technology Hon. Alan Kyerematen, Minister of Trade & Industry Hon. Kasim Kasanga, Minister of Science & Environment Hon. Kwadwo Baah-Wiredu, Minister of Education MEDIA Ghana Television would cover the UN-GCG meeting with President Kufuor on Wednesday, March 31, 2004. American journalist Mark Horvit of the Star Telegram would accompany the team on most of the events planned for the week, including the briefing with President Kufuor; a tour of BusyInternet, a technology incubator; and a visit to Affiliated Computer Services, Inc., a Texas-based business process outsourcing firm that employs 1,700 in Ghana. PARTNERS United Nations, Division for Sustainable Development, New York University City Science Center. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Innovation Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Ghana Cyber Group, Inc., New York, New York